More than four decades after a 9-year-old girl vanished in Homestead, a $25,000 reward is now being offered to help solve the mystery of what happened to her.
Maribel Oquendo-Carrero was last seen on Dec. 6, 1982, when she left her home in the Sky Vista Apartments in the 1500 block of Northeast 8th Street.
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WATCH HEREOquendo-Carrero had gone on a walk to a corner store called Food Spot #21 at 1611 Northeast 8th Street, located in the Sky Vista Shopping Center.
She was never seen again.
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On Tuesday, Oquendo-Carrero's 50th birthday, the FBI announced a new reward of up to $25,000 was being offered in the case.
The reward is for information that leads to her recovery or the identification, arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for her disappearance.
Local
Oquendo-Carrero was born in Camden, New Jersey, but has ties to Puerto Rico and New York.
At the time of her disappearance, she had black hair and brown eyes, and was 4-foot-3 and weighed 54 pounds. The FBI previously released a photo that was age-progressed to show Oquendo-Carrero at age 47.
This past December, Homestead Police officials said they believe she could still be alive.
"Do we believe she’s alive and still with us today? We don’t have any leads to suggest that she’s not," Capt. Fernando Morales said. "So, we have to be hopeful.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Homestead Police or the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
